Get a Head Start on Back-to-School Stories

It’s as regular as clockwork … the front-page photo of an unhappy kindergartener being left at school for the very first time. Sometimes the shot includes parents choking back tears, or a friendly teacher coaxing a frightened child into joining the class. Believe it or not, there are still plenty of opportunities for a fresh take on the back-to-school story.

At EdMedia Commons, our members have come up with some good ones.

Angela Gartner, the News-Herald’s education reporter in Willoughby, Ohio, plans to write about a new radio system for the local district’s school buses. She’ll also take a closer look at a recently ratified contract with the teachers union.

Brandon Huff, a freelance journalist in Cincinnati, is taking a proactive approach to the ongoing dilemma of cyberbullying. He sat down with a local school psychologist for a Q&A to help parents recognize warning signs and understand how to raise the topic with their own children at home.

Liam Goldrick, director of the New Teacher Center in Stoughton, Wis., noticed that Angela was from Ohio and suggested she take a look at the brand-new Ohio Teacher Residency Program. It includes a four-year induction period for new teachers, Goldrick says.

Back in 2007, I followed a new teacher as he prepared to start his career at Coronado High School in Henderson, Nev. (I’m giving you the link to my own work because it was handy, not because I’m interested in self-promotion.) I spent a few weeks before the start of school following him as he moved into his new apartment, attended orientation sessions and set up his classroom. I revisited him six months later to find out how his year was going and again the following fall. I’m pleased to report Lenze is about to start his fourth year at Coronado.

With profiles like this, I’ve learned that the follow-up is important. Readers want to know what happens next.

If you can’t find a new teacher to profile, consider a rookie principal, or perhaps someone planning to retire at the end of the year. Are any schools in your area preparing for a major transformation? Is a local campus the recipient of the new “turnaround” grant for persistently underperforming campuses? Is a for-profit company recruiting families for an online charter school?

Tomorrow I’ll have some suggestions for story ideas on another underappreciated topic: school facilities. Trust me, they won’t be boring.

Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I’m also on Twitter @EWAEmily.